Improvement in ice-houses for packing and curing meats



Bumm AUG 22 1871 [alaaf/75"' i chilled, are salted or cured.

UNrTEn ASTATES.

HENRY A. ROBERTS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN ICE-HOUSES FOR PACKING AND CURING MEATS.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent N o. 118,277, dated August 22, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. ROBERTS, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented anv Improved Ice- House for Curing and Packing Beef and Pork, and for other purposes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making part of this speciication, in which-f Figure 1 is a perspective view, representing the construction of the interior of my improved ice-house. Fig. 2 is a lon gitudin al section through the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line x wot Fig. 2; Fig. 4, modification to be referred to. y

In the operation of curing and packing beef, pork, &c., it is highly essential to the preservation ofV the meats that they be properly conditioned, or, in other words, that the animal heat be extracted as rapidly as possible immediately after being killed, preparatory to curing, or salting and packing.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawing, A A represent the sides of an ice-house of my improved construction; B, its roof; O, its lower floor 5 and D, the door of the ice-chamber or receptacle E above it. The floor D is composed of two portions, a b, inclined toward each other, and separated by a longitudinal opening, c, extending down through the ceiling of a chill-room, G, in which the fresh meat, immediately after being killed, is placed, in order that it may be properly conditioned, or have the animal heat removed therefrom in a manner presently to be explained. The portion a of the floor of the ice-chamber does not abut against the inside of the upright wall A, a space, d, being' left, which communicates with an opening or iiue, e, between the portion a of the iloor D and the ceiling of the lower floor C, the iiue e extending into the longitudinal opening o to the {fresh-chilling7 chamber G, which is separated by a suitable partition, f, from a compartment, H, in which the meats, after being properly The ceiling' or top of the curing-compartment is of a height somewhat less than that of the chilling-chamber G, which extends horizontally along to a point at a distance fromthe upright wallA equal to that of the outer end of the portion c of the ice-floor from said wall, by which construction a due, 8, is formed, and ra continuous circulation of dry cold air is maintained around and through the meat, and the animal heat extracted therefrom as required, the moisture produced by the contact ofthe cool dry air with the animal heat being absorbed and carried up into the space d and under and around the base of the ice, where it becomes condensed and flows with the melted ice down the inclined portion a of the door into a trough, I, which is also inclined down to one end, where a pipe, g, conducts the melted water and water of condensation away from the building. The saline vapors ofthe curing or salting-chamber H are effectually prevented from entering the chilling-chamber by means oi' the partition f, the cold dry air from the chillingchamber entering an opening, h, in the back of the vats or tanks X containing the brine, and passing around and under it, whereby the meats, while being salted, are kept in a cool state, as required. The current of cold air is increased by the current of water from the melted ice running down the inclined floor D, the water flowing into the trough I and the air continuing to circulate through the tlues and openings previously described. L L is a series of parallel inclined strips for the ice to rest on, by which arrangement the amount of coolingsurface is increased and a passage formed under the melting ice for the air to circulate freely. In the event of a considerable quantity of meat bein g left in the curing-room and no time remains to cure it, to avoid the labor and inconvenience of carrying it back to the chilling-room to keep it in a cold state till the following day, I resort to the following plan In the outer casing of the front of the brine-vats is formed a series of apertures, z', over which slides a plate, lVI, provided with apertures j, similar to those t', by which means the cool air, after passing through the chill-room, may enter the curing-room and extract the animal heat from the meat hung up therein, the moisture arising from the animal heat being carried by the cool current up through a series of passages, k, (controlled by a plate, W,) in the ceiling of the curing-room, and into the due 8 to the inclined door under the ice, where the vapors are condensed and iiow down into the trough I, the connection between the line 8 and the top of the chill-room being closed by a swinging door, l, during this operation. The apertures in the front of the brine-vats are closed by the plate M, and the passages 7c in the ceiling of the curing-room are also closed when the operators are there at work, thus shutting off the cold draught which would otherwise be maintained. The tops ofthe brine-vats are closed by suitable covers while the meat is being cured, to prevent the saline vapors from rising and being carried into contact with the ice, thus preserving it a much longer time than would otherwise be the case. VInside one Y of the upright walls A,parallel thereto, and at a short distance therefrom, is placed a partition or casing, N, forming an upright line, m, which communicates with a horizontal iiue, n, at its top, and extending over the ceiling o of the ice-chamber E, thence leading into a flue, 19, under one of the slant sides of the roof B. O O is a series of circular holes through the bottom of the outer wall A, and opening into the vertical flue m. The ceiling o of the ice-chamber consists of a sheet or strip of fibrous or porous material, upon which collects the moisture arising from the ice, and the dry air flowing up the flue m comes in contact with the ceiling o and absorbs the moisture therefrom. The currents of air thus charged with watery vapors pass under and against the roof, which in summer is made warm by the heat of the sun, and the moisture is rapidly evaporated, thereby preventing the undue decay of the roof and the consumption of the ice from the drops which would fall from the fibrous ceiling were there no internal circulation of dry air around 'and in contact with it. In winter the circulationof air is reversed, the direction of A the current of cold air being from the flue 7J into the flue a, and down the ue m out of the holes` O O in the bottom of the side wall A. During excessively warm weather, if the amount of the internal circulation of the air is not sufficient to overcome or take up the dampness of the elements of animal heat accumulated in the chilling-chambers, I adopt the following plan to remedy the difficulty: P is an ascending-flue and Q is a descending-flue, parallel to andlcommunicating with each other, by which additional velocity is imparted to the currents of air in their circuit under the ice, and through the chillingchamber and dues, and a low dry temperature is insured as, required. When the temperature is to be cooled rapidly I direct the air from the ascending-Hue through a longitudinal opening, 10,v

same building, underneath the ice-chamber, an

addition or L to the main building may be constructed for this purpose, as seen in Fig. 4:.

It will be seen from the foregoing that .the air is denser and colder in the ice-chamber than in the room beneath, where the freshly-killed meats are hung up, and the cold air in descending thereinto displaces the warmer air in the chill-room and starts into motion all the air within it, compelling it to join in a general current through the nues, and under or at the base of the ice, and absorbing the moisture arising from the animal heat of the meats, this moisture being condensed by Contact with the ice and running off into the trough in colnmon with the melted ice. By the application of this process of internal circulation all impurities, exhalations, and odors are removed from the meats, and the entire atmosphere in the chilling-room is kept perfectly sweet and fresh, as required.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A chill-room, G, and a curing or packingroom, H, when separated by a partition, and

constructed with the flues and air-passages, as

herein shown and described.

2. The ceiling of an ice-chamber, E, composed of an absorbing and evaporating material, in combination with a continuous flue for creating a draught over and upon it, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

Witness my hand this 29th day of March, A.

HENRY A. ROBERTS.

Witnesses:

N. W. SrEAnNs, L. E. BATGHELLER. 

